Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17  NASB

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What will you do with it? Maybe before you answer that question, you should take a look at how what you are doing is working for you. First of all, do you believe in God and have you accepted Christ as your Savior? If you answered no, then I strongly urge to read your Bible. Beginning in the book of John is usually what is recommended. If you are not sure of any of this, you may want to read Lee Strobel’s book, A Case for Christ. He also made a documentary and a movie that you could watch, all by the same title.

Now, if you have accepted Christ as your Savior and you consider yourself to be a Christian, think about what that looks like for you. Does it look any different from before you accepted Christ as your Savior? Have people around you noticed a difference? Have you felt more peace and joy than ever before? Do you feel like a whole new creation? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then good job. Keep up the good work and feel free to stop reading here.

But, if you answered no to any of these questions. I ask you to consider a few things. First of all, why did you accept Christ as your savior? Was it to win approval of another person? Was it because several of your friends were doing it and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time? Or, was it because you had drawn near to God and you felt a calling on your heart to confess your sins to Him, accept Him as your savior, and ask Him to fill your heart with His Holy Spirit?

If you did the right thing, but for the wrong reason, that’s okay. God gives do overs. It’s not too late to get it right.

We are one week into the new year. So, even if you have messed up this first week, you have 51 more to get it right. But the most important thing that any of us will ever resolve to do is to have a stronger relationship with our Lord and Savior. Right here, right now, draw closer to God. You may be someone that adorns a church pew every Sunday but doesn’t have a good, solid, close relationship with Him. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). James 4:8 also tells us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. God will help us to do this is as we draw near to Him.

When you draw near to God, confess your sin to Him. Maybe it’s been so bad that you just don’t want to face it, but I’ve got a news flash for you-He already knows. Now even though, He already knows, we must own up to it and confess our sin to Him. When we do this, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Then we must repent of our sin. This means that we are truly sorry and we no longer want to sin. It doesn’t meant that we accept God’s forgiveness and feel free to go on sinning.

Now once we do this, if we truly believe in God and we truly believe that He sent His son to die for us so that we may be set free from the bondage of sin and death and be given eternal life (John 3:16), we can ask Jesus into our hearts. Once we are called to salvation, then we can be freed from our old sinful ways. We can become a new creature in Christ.

What will you do with what’s left of this new year? Will it be another year of the same old same old, or will you make an effort to make this year much better? The only way this year will be the best ever is if you give it all over to God. Give God all of your anger and bitterness. Give up the unwholesome talk that comes from your mouth. Do your best not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Be kind to others, forgiving them as Christ has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Oh, and don’t forget what the bible tells us about our enemies. The bible tells us that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-48). Vengeance is God’s job (Romans 12:19). Know who your enemies are, remember our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Also know that God’s got this. The battle is not yours, but the Lord’s (Judah 20:15).

So, the choice is yours. You can make 2020 your best year yet by giving it all over to God or you can keep on keeping on. I suggest you choose wisely because none of us know when we will face the Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

Have a great year!